Arrows & Bracelets Volume 1
by Wonderverse
Summary: A WW epic mostly set in a fantasy world setting.
1. Chapter 1

Arrows & Bracelets

Volume 1

A Wonder Woman Series

All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by...

That old maritime verse from earth entered Captain Diana of the Amazon's mind as she conducted her latest mission of inter dimensional exploration (and/or extra dimensional patrol; she was the appointed guardian of...everything after all). Wonder Woman had traveled to a fantasy world like Middle Earth (she was a Tolkien fan after all) to explore her father Zeus's infinite creation in greater detail. Given that she originated from an island world that used ancient weaponry and very much appeared like something out of mythology or fantasy Diana didn't have to do much extra to effectively blend into a world like this. The ever handy wonder plane was still ever at her beck/call (although it was usually hidden in the multiversal background for a mission like this), but for the medieval like creatures in this world to see such a thing could alter their natural course of evolution; and Diana being a scientist inasmuch as being a warrior did not want that. She tried not to culturally contaminate any world if it could be helped.

Why Captain Diana, and the thought of that old Masefield verse running through her mind at that exact moment? It was really quite simple. She'd had the wonder vehicle (her mobile operations platform) magically produce bags of gold (she'd never had to worry about money for operational needs) and then used that to buy an old sturdy sailing ship. She'd then hired a crew of certified scoundrels, as Star Wars might have called them, and set sail for the great beyond. She'd been in this reality for a month now but had only been at sea with her crew for a day. She'd bought the ship from her first mate, then captain/owner. He'd been willing to take a demotion and sell his ship to her after the small fortune she'd given him for it. He'd obviously wondered where all the money had come from; he'd never know. And of course and not to her surprise she'd instinctively named the ship the Argo. Whether or not these were the next Argonauts was another matter entirely.

"Winds are at our back now captain and should stay that way," said Polgar, that first mate that had both a questionable and varied past. "Good," she replied; they stood at the stern wheel together. "We'll make good time." She hadn't used the lasso on any of them; she'd been afraid it would have taken forever to get through all of them if she had. There was no doubt they'd been killers thieves and whatever else they'd needed to be in order to survive. It hadn't been different from earth in many respects. Could she use the wonder plane to make infinite money? Yes. Why didn't she to end earth poverty forevermore? Answer: the Star Trek prime directive was her real honor code as WW. Lame; hypocritical? Not in the slightest to her. Why? No matter how well intentioned a being's motives might be if seemingly benign actions were done without due thought to a species' evolution it could prove to be a disaster. She was a scientist and had to remember that in all of her actions as WW. And magical interventions could affect those natural courses most of all - and not in a good way. If people hated her for it she could live with it and would; she'd been WW for many decades and had gone by the prime directive since the 60s show had come out. And WW going by that brilliant fictional directive in a real life manner had done more good than harm in her view. Earth had seemed to agree; they'd made more movies comic books games TV shows and so on about her after she'd chosen to follow this directive more directly then before doing such. And her almighty father hadn't disagreed either; he too seemed to be a noninterventionist most of the time. Must run in the family...

Together captain and first mate looked at a map; sundown was near and they wanted a better idea of where they were going before that happened. They were sailing west across a relatively calm sea to reach a continent to explore it. There were rumors that it had many natural/valuable resources and cultures there that had had very little contact with the world beyond it. The port city they'd set sail from had a bunch of would be adventurers that still wanted to reach this landmass but they'd ultimately been reluctant due to the overall lack of success that had taken place. Of all the known ships that had attempted exploration there - private and state sanctioned - none had returned. That could have been for any number of reasons, but they'd all been mortal crews. Another thing Diana had done to earn this crew's trust was to "show off" her skills/powers. She'd spent the first week doing just that in various fights. There was magic in this world, along with demons and wizards and all of that jazz, but to most of the commoners they were just stories. Diana had proven her celestial nature to them either way. And from what Diana had seen of this world thus far they hadn't seemed anti woman by any means. Women had evident power and authority in the port city alone and she even had female crew members aboard the newly christened Argo. This had all somewhat surprised her with irony given earth's many anti woman views and sentiments that still rang true in the current era, which was much more technologically advanced with smartphones and the internet compared to this medieval world where gunpowder/firearms didn't exist yet magic did. She found such multiversal contradictions fascinating, as Mr. Spock would famously say.

"We should reach the target continent's outermost coast in a few days," Polgar said. "This is based on what we've heard from the many rumors." She nodded, understanding that rumor constituted most of what they knew about this unnamed landmass. This was what had drawn her to a job like this; the many unknowns. They were quite literally sailing right into the heart of it; she loved unraveling mysteries and defeating ignorance with knowledge. While not a religious being she was definitely spiritual by nature. Whether this was by her father's design or not didn't matter. But by exploring the multiverse in all ways possible this deepened her tie to her father, along with everything else in creation.

They spoke on heading matters further. She couldn't wait for night; the stars had been marvelous so far, but to see them at sea would be the most amazing of all; there would be no light pollution of any kind. That and the gentle motions of the calm sea for now would help facilitate a contemplative experience. She loved living in such moments. If she could make them last than she would.


	2. Chapter 2

Wonder Woman:

The next couple of days passed without incident. I'd heard that these seas could be rough but that hadn't been the case with the Argo so far. Despite the crew's shady backgrounds they performed well enough. I watched them as captain, but not to micromanage. I just wanted to see how they performed, especially where the routine tasks were concerned. If they couldn't handle the small stuff how could they handle the big stuff? And based on everything I'd heard the big stuff would certainly factor into account at some point. It was nearing the predawn hours on the projected day we'd anticipated arriving at the target - and our navigational predictions didn't disappoint. But then again the weather had held favorably, which for sailors and mariners meant everything; oftentimes proving the difference between life and death. "Land ho!" called out the sailor on watch in the crow's nest. That's what we wanted to hear. I approached the rear where Polgar steered the ship himself. He was a hands on kind of guy. I'd noticed that early on about him and it had been a key observation as to why I'd made him my first mate after buying his ship. There was some mist ahead...and then we saw it. There were shipwrecks along the eastern coast of this target landmass. And the more we punched through the fog the more of them we saw. There had been some initial cheer amongst the crew with land being sighted, but then it grew deathly quiet at what we now saw before us. We'd heard all of this before coming here, but now we were seeing it firsthand; it'd become more real for us now. I reached out with my power, more specifically my ability to communicate with all animals. I could easily touch the fish and other sea life with ease but the animals on land which should have been many by all accounts was surprisingly absent. That was damned odd to say the least.

"What do you want to do captain?" said Polgar. He'd seemed to read my mind, but given the situation that wouldn't have been a hard thing to do. "Bring down the sails; let's coast in." Polgar relayed my orders. I pulled the handle off my belt that instantly formed into the greater magical Bow of Apollo (given to me by the god of archery himself; it could fire infinite energy/physical arrows. It was damned handy to have in the field to be sure.) The crew had seen me use it in action while proving my divine capabilities so now they were not as surprised. I turned to Polgar. "I'm going to scout ahead. Stay with the ship until I give the order to disembark." "Aye aye captain."

I went to the fore of the ship waited a moment longer before then taking a super leap up into the mist that we still had to more greatly penetrate. I soared over the low mist that blocked a clear view of the land; thus having the sailor in the crow's nest had given the advanced notice we'd needed. Now we could sail into land more properly, and safely; especially if trouble was here. I soared over the remainder of the sea between the Argo and the coast and dropped to land nimbly on the beach. I held the bow low in one hand while doing my initial recon action. There were shipwrecks on both sides of me. And while I couldn't tell without more detailed investigation my quick scans of them suggested they'd run aground here long ago; all were rotten and grown over with moss and the like. It could also have happened more swiftly; this was a different reality after all; physical laws could vary greatly.

This portion of the beach was mostly flat and sandy. Ahead were a series of white cliffs, almost like the ones of Dover in England but smaller and not as outright sheer. Beyond that were grasslands and forests beyond that. It looked as though it would be an overcast day weather wise. It didn't seem a dangerous place, but as I yet again reached out with my power to contact the animal life of the land...nothing returned. It seemed as though no such life had ever been here, but that didn't add up either. I wasn't prepared to have my crew come ashore until I'd gone deeper in. I could go deeper in and not inform the crew for quite a while. Our supplies were plenty good; we'd prepared well for just this event. Still, I didn't like not knowing what was up. Seeing that there was no immediate trouble I collapsed the bow and returned it to my belt. In addition to that I had a regular knife for tool use and my typical bracelet/lasso items.

I continued walking along the beach. The explorer in me wanted to investigate the wrecks but I wanted more answers about the land first. I then scanned the area with super vision. I picked up nothing with that either. That was indeed damned strange. I did another super leap and cleared those white cliffs and landed well past them. It was the upper grassy portion now. This position was still a good height above the sea level ground despite not being as sheer as the Dover cliffs. I looked back in the direction of the Argo and could still see it coasting in before it would need to drop anchor unless entering shallow water. Polgar would take good care of the ship in the interim. I turned inland; the near distant forests called to me more at this point in the game. I still sensed no life from there but I still wanted to recon it directly before drawing any conclusions. I started off at a normal run for them.


	3. Chapter 3

I reached those woods, Apollonian bow in hand and ready for action. I reached out with my power yet again to commune with the animal life, something I could normally do with ease; still nothing. This was too damned odd to be set to coincidence. I couldn't sense magic but it was definitely involved; it was the only logical explanation. I went into the brush where it was thicker and knelt once inside it. If anyone tried anything stupid they would figure out just what this bow could really do. Twigs snapped to my near distant left; other brush was moved aside as something moved through the vegetation. I brought up the bow and readied an energy arrow; this would typically be deadlier than any physical arrow. And being that I didn't know what the hell this was yet I wasn't going to take any chances. Plus I could hold the bowstring forever unlike a mortal archer. All I had to do now was wait and let it come to me. It must have sensed my movement as well; it was definitely heading in my direction. I wouldn't budge unless I had to; and I would make certain my crew remained safe.

It was already deathly still; it became more of that; assuming that was even possible - it was. Even now I started to feel chills go down my spine; I didn't let it affect me. This entire voyage was about exploring the unknown and defeating ignorance with knowledge; with wisdom. This was the best way for now to do it with.

"I can smell you, trespasser," said an animal like voice from directly ahead; deep growls were embedded in its speech and breath. "You would do well to turn around and leave...or you'll never leave here again..."

Knowing precisely where he was I angled out with the bow ready to fire. We then came into direct sight of each other. He was a werewolf like creature; his predatory emerald eyes locked onto my blue hunter ones. "Who are you?" He could tell by my countenance and capability that there was something different about me; the bow gave it away most of all with its glowing energy arrow ready for immediate release into him. I also sensed that if I let it go into him it would hurt his furry hide; considerably. "I am Diana of the Amazons. I captain a vessel; I'm an explorer. I mean you no harm." His claws and teeth could obviously pierce my flesh; but he'd have to catch me first - if indeed it came to combat; it was similar with Cheetah. He tensed at my captaincy mentioning. "There are more of you?" "Mortals, yes. They are my crew. We are here to chart this land." He bared his teeth and snarled. "You are not welcome here!"

He took a few speedy steps towards me; I almost let him have the arrow, but I didn't. He feinted at the last second and only feet away from me. "You have superior control female." "I am a warrior; and a demigod. You would be wise to remember that."

Our standoff continued without resolution; yet he didn't attack; but I wasn't ready yet to lower my weapon. This was why I did recon or operated alone when working with mortals. I'd lost too many good men/women over the years not to be so cautious. Many of them had been close... I would not let Polgar and the others meet such a horrible fate if it could be helped. I revered Athena the most after my father where Olympus was concerned; I prayed to her for continued wisdom here.


	4. Chapter 4

Our standoff continued. Maybe he thought I was bluffing; both about my certain action to come or of my divine nature. Either way, it wasn't a course I wanted to test. He then relented, to my honest surprise. I lowered the bow about halfway to help build trust; it was nice not to always be the one seizing the initiative all the time. "I am Seamus." "Greetings to you then, Seamus." With this building of a potential bridge further between us I collapsed my bow and returned it to my belt. It definitely fascinated Seamus. "You really are a mystical being, aren't you?" "My father is king of all creation; although though are many such deities and pantheons throughout existence." "And how do you know your power exceeds theirs?" "Because we've fought and won against them. Plus they can sense my father's almighty power when fully revealed."

That seemed to satisfy him for now. Now it was my turn. "Seamus, what is this place? Why are there no animals around? Why are you alone?" He looked around. "This place is cursed somehow; I don't know how or why." He struggled with his next words. "I don't know why I am alone; only that I am." "There are a bunch of shipwrecks along the coast..." "Yes; one of those ships was mine, but I'm not sure which." "I don't understand." Seamus looked at his furry clawed hands. "I don't believe that I was always like this. I think I was...human." "You were a sailor on one of those ships?" "It's possible. I...don't remember."

I thought there was more to this. That lack of any animals added further belief that a supernatural intelligence was behind this, and likely not a benign one; he did believe it to be cursed, even if he could not say how/why. "I might be able to help you remember." "How?" I pointed to the lasso on my belt. "It's magical; it can help restore memories if suppressed or blocked." Seamus didn't like the idea; I didn't blame him. The lasso had a will of its own and it could be forceful depending on the situation; but it often brought the liberation and clarity that a being needed to move forward with one's life when faced with such a crisis. "I am the god of truth in my world, Seamus. And the truth will always set you free." "It can also bring more pain." "Yes; it can. The choice is yours Seamus."

I stood there and waited with patience. This approach seemed to work. He could clearly see that I would respect whatever choice he made, if any at all. My crew would follow orders and stay on the ship so they were in no immediate danger that could be seen. In short, short of escalation we all had the time; and I wasn't here for violence; I was here for knowledge - as my patron Athena would have encouraged.

"Very well, Diana of the Amazons. I shall attempt to trust you." I gave him a reassuring smile. "Good, Seamus, good." I removed the lasso and handed him an end of it. "Just take it into your hand and relax." He did so. The lasso would not tear into someone's mind that was innocent or a victim. As the ultimate lie detector it would know that right away. We both let the new lifeline of truth take root into our beings.

Then, memories from both our eventful lives were shared. I had nothing to hide from him; I would let him see the truth of my long godly life already lived. This would indeed help build trust - and that was what WW was all about - building bridges and bridging gaps.


	5. Chapter 5

It was indeed a supernatural agency at work. It had done this to Seamus. How and why was another matter. The details were still sketchy despite the memory restoration powers of the lasso. But what I could definitely glean was that something powerful had done this. It had gone to great lengths to mask its presence and its activity; but it could still be seen for what it was.

We ended the mind link; he let go of the lasso. "You have lived a most remarkable life." "I help others wherever I can." Trust for him was easier now. This would help us in turn to help each other, and maybe figure out what the hell had happened here. What I would propose next was a bold move but necessary to cement this improbable trust that had been formed. "Seamus - you should come back with me to the Argo. You'll be safer there." He was reluctant, but nowhere as much as he likely would have been if the lasso hadn't been used. "Will your crew accept me?" "I'm the captain." I said it with authority. He gave a small nod. "All right, Diana. Please lead the way." To further illustrate trust and my honest desire to help him I put a hand on his furry shoulder. "I will help you make sense of this Seamus. I will help you to find the truth." He gave a small smile. I received the impression that was the closest thing he'd felt to hope in a long time.

I offered him my hand; he took it without much delay.

XXX

The crew's reaction was what I had expected, and what Seamus had been afraid of; but I gave a silencing gaze wherever it was needed. The crew knew of both my capabilities and my expectations. A captain in any reality was ever considered a master and commander of his vessel; lest he not be much of a captain. This situation would be no different. If anyone had a problem with that they could very well call this their port of harbor.

"This is Seamus, and he is a guest aboard the Argo until I say otherwise. Clear?" There were no objections. "Polgar?" "Yes captain?" "Give Seamus whatever he needs to fit in." "Yes sir." As Seamus was escorted away he looked back at me with increasing hope and gratitude. "Thank you Diana. I will never forget this."

"This isn't over yet Seamus; this is only the beginning of truth."

XXX

I returned to the landmass alone; my orders to the crew remained the same as before. With Seamus now safe along with my mortal charges I could now return to the real why behind this place without risking anyone else. The animals were still gone; only the plants thrived in this world.

"I know you're here," I said to the force that chose to remain in the shadows. "I know that you're responsible for what happened to both Seamus and very likely all those other crews that came here. You had no right to do what you did to them, but you did. I demand that you show yourself! Face justice!"

Thunder rumbled in the distance; the sky darkened with unnatural speed. That told me I had struck a nerve.

There was something out there, and closing fast - and it reeked of demon. I readied my magic bow and waited. A fight brewed in my mind.


End file.
